'mexican' on Serious Eats

The pantry of Dennise Chavez's Carnitas El Atoradero puts the rest of New York's Mexican kitchens to shame. While the city is home to the largest concentration of Poblanos outside Puebla, it's still difficult to find fresh, quality chilies, herbs, and spices. Here are just a few of the ingredients that go into her jawdropping moles and Pueblan dishes. More

Crispy potato and chorizo are a classic taco combination—one that taco trucks usually get wrong. The ideal potato and chorizo taco should be deeply browned and flavorful, each crisp cube of potato coated in a thin layer of bright red fat packed with spicy, meaty flavor. The chorizo itself should have a range of textures from tender and moist to crisp. It's a very straight-forward process to get there, but it does take a bit of time. Here's how I do it. More

Crispy potato and chorizo are a classic taco combination—one that taco trucks usually get wrong. The ideal potato and chorizo taco should be deeply browned and flavorful, each crisp cube of potato coated in a thin layer of bright red fat packed with spicy, meaty flavor. The chorizo itself should have a range of textures from tender and moist to crisp. More

Wine-loving folk in Baja, Mexico, speak with pride about the Valle de Guadalupe, a surprisingly lush, wide cut of land just off the coast from Ensenada. But the region is a destination for more than wine—restaurants cooking with lush local produce and seafood are serving some fantastic meals. More

I wanted to make a vegan chorizo recipe that doesn't just come close to regular chorizo in the flavor department, but outright nails it. I wanted a meat-free chorizo with textural contrast up the wazoo, and a chorizo that changes texture as you cook it just like its meat-based counterpart. I wanted a chorizo that is tangy, rich, and complex. In short, I wanted nothing less than the best darned meat-free chorizo around. And what I want, I get. More

I wanted to make a vegan chorizo recipe that doesn't just come close to regular chorizo in the flavor department, but outright nails it. I wanted a meat-free chorizo with textural contrast up the wazoo, and a chorizo that changes texture as you cook it just like its meat-based counterpart. I wanted a chorizo that is tangy, rich, and complex. In short, I wanted nothing less than the best darned meat-free chorizo around. And what I want, I get. More

A grilled cheese inspired by cemitas—the Pueblo, Mexico sandwich specialty. Stringy Oaxacan cheese surrounds a spicy, creamy mash of avocado and chipotles in adobo, while a layer of whole papalo leaves add an herbal pop. This sandwich may not have the meat or the classic cemita roll, but it still manages to capture the bold, fiery flavors of the original. More

Mexican atole, a hot drink made from corn, comes in a staggering variety of flavors, from sweet to savory, each one more delicious than the next. Take the chocolatey version known as champurrado: One sip and you may never crave a regular old hot chocolate again. Here's a look at what makes atoles so great, along with three recipes to get you started. More

Mexican atole, a hot drink made from corn, comes in a staggering variety of flavors, from sweet to savory, each one more delicious than the next. In this sweet one, the corn-flavored base, made from masa harina, is infused with orange zest for a warming, aromatic beverage that's perfect for winter. More

Mexican atole, a hot drink made from corn, comes in a staggering variety of flavors, from sweet to savory, each one more delicious than the next. In this sweet one, the corn-flavored base, made from masa harina, is enriched with the nutty flavor of roasted peanuts for a warming, aromatic beverage that's perfect for winter. More

Mexican atole, a hot drink made from corn, comes in a staggering variety of flavors, from sweet to savory, each one more delicious than the next. In this sweet one known as champurrado, the corn-flavored base, made from masa harina, is enriched with dark chocolate and cinnamon for a warming, aromatic beverage that's perfect for winter. More

What you'll find in Michoacán is food both rustic and hearty but almost electric in flavor, with more tamales than you can shake a stick at. Dishes like fresh cheese cooked with chili, belly-hugging casseroles made of tamales, and lard-fried carnitas; starchy hominy pozole emblazoned with chilies and birria so rich it sticks to your lips. More

Tamales are delicious, but forming them is a small pain in the culo. The baked tamale pie (known as a cazuela de tamal in Mexico) is the solution to your problems: all the joys of tamales, but way less work. More

Tamales are delicious, but forming them is a small pain in the culo. This baked tamale pie, know as a cazuela de tamal in Mexico, is the solution: all the joys of tamales with not nearly as much work. More

I grew up eating my mom's layered chicken enchilada casseroles made with canned sauce and tons of sour cream. While I've still got a soft spot in my heart for that dish, this version, with its smoky charred poblano salsa, tender braised chicken thighs, and moderate use of cream and cheese, is its more sophisticated, grown up cousin. More

I grew up eating my mom's layered chicken enchilada casseroles made with canned sauce and tons of sour cream. While I've still got a soft spot in my heart for that dish, this version, with its smoky charred poblano salsa, tender braised chicken thighs, and moderate use of cream and cheese, is its more sophisticated, grown up cousin. More

Now supposing that you've got yourself a big 'ol pile of leftover turkey sitting in the fridge, and right next to it happens to be a batch of the mole poblano you made a few weeks back. There's only one possible outcome to this situation: turkey and mole enchiladas (or, if you want to get really technical about it, enmoladas).
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Supposing that you've got yourself a big 'ol pile of leftover turkey sitting in the fridge, and right next to it happens to be a batch of the mole poblano you made a few weeks back. There's only one possible outcome to this situation: turkey and mole enchiladas (or, if you want to get really technical about it, enmoladas). More

This green chili recipe incorporates leftover turkey with a salsa verde base containing tomatillos, serrano peppers, onions and garlic that are blasted under the broiler. It's given backbone from ancho powder, smokiness courtesy of cumin, and aromatics by way of oregano. It's then thickened with cornmeal, bolstered by white beans, and finished with all of the fixings. More